US Officials: Missing Malaysian Plane May Have Crashed Into Indian Ocean
White House press secretary Jay Carney speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. (AP)
U.S. officials say the missing Malaysia Airlines jet with 239 people on board may have crashed into the Indian Ocean.
Flight 370 disappeared one week ago and investigators have yet to find any firm evidence of what happened. Theories include piracy and a catastrophic mechanical failure.
The U.S. officials tell American broadcast networks they have indications the jet is in the Indian Ocean, far west of its intended flight path.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the United States may expand its search into the ocean because of what he calls "new information." He did not elaborate.
Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Friday "circumstances" already have expanded the search into the Indian Ocean. He also said investigators are looking at remote parts of the South China Sea.
Missing Malaysia Airlines plane
Indian military aircraft have also flown over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands -- more than 500 mostly uninhabited, heavily forested land masses.
Investigators believe the plane may have flown for several hours after disappearing from radar. They say the jet was sending electronic pings to a communications satellite.
Passenger nationalities, Malaysia Flight MH370
The Boeing 777 was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared.
Sixty ships and 50 planes from 13 countries are involved in the search.
About two-thirds of the people on board were Chinese. Other passengers included Europeans and Americans.
The Search for MH370
1/11A family member of a passenger onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 talks to reporters in a hotel in Beijing, March 14, 2014.
2/11Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak leaves after Friday prayers that included special prayers for passengers of flight MH370 at a mosque near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, March 14, 2014.
3/11Malaysia's Minister of Transport Hishamuddin Hussein, center, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation, left and Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, right, at a press conference in Sepang, March 14, 2014.
4/11A Vietnamese Air Force colonel uses binoculars on board a flying aircraft during a mission to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the Gulf of Thailand, March 13, 2014.
5/11A Chinese relative of passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane watches TV as she waits for the latest news in a hotel room in Beijing, China, March 13, 2014.
6/11Students light candles to express hope and solidarity for the passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, Manila, Philippines, March 13, 2014.
7/11Children read messages and well wishes for all involved with the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370 on the walls of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, March 13, 2014.
8/11A Vietnam Air Force aircraft AN-26 flies over Con Dao island during a mission to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, March 12, 2014.
9/11Vietnamese military personnel take part in the search for a missing Malaysian airliner off Vietnam's Tho Chu island, March 10, 2014.
10/11A child reacts to the camera as others light candles during a vigil for missing Malaysia Airlines passengers at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur, March 10, 2014.
11/11Syrians fleeing the war rush through broken down border fences to enter Turkish territory illegally, near the Turkish border crossing at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province.
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